Add only CNG, EVs in new cab fleet: CAQM

The new directive bans the addition of new petrol and diesel vehicles into service fleets, covering all two-wheelers, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), and light goods vehicles (LGVs) in the N1 category.

Published on: Jun 5, 2025, 07:14:13 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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Only CNG and electric vehicles will be allowed in new fleets of cab aggregators, delivery services, and e-commerce operators in Delhi-NCR starting January 1, 2026, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced on Wednesday. The move is part of a broader crackdown on polluting vehicles to reduce emissions in the region.

CAQM said vehicular emissions remain one of the primary sources of air pollution in NCR cities. (Shutterstock)

The new directive bans the addition of new petrol and diesel vehicles into service fleets, covering all two-wheelers, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), and light goods vehicles (LGVs) in the N1 category (weighing up to 3.5 tonnes).

Existing vehicles in operation, however, will be allowed to continue.

In direction number 94, issued on June 4, the CAQM said vehicular emissions remain one of the primary sources of air pollution in NCR cities. The policy targets areas with heavy vehicle use and intercity travel, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad. It also called on Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to create region-wide policies for logistics and mobility platforms.

In a separate order — direction number 93 — the CAQM also mandated that from November 1, 2026, all buses entering Delhi under various permits, including All India Tourist Permits, must operate on cleaner fuels or electric alternatives. This rule will not apply to buses registered in Delhi.

Previously, CAQM directions 78 and 81 had already restricted entry of intercity buses from neighbouring states to those running on BS-VI diesel, CNG, or electric power, reinforcing a clean fuel regime across the capital and its adjoining regions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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